By Linda Holt: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1861) is best known as the author of Walden, the chronicle of his two years living in the woods. Less well known is the body of art Thoreau left behind, in the form of pencil and pen-and-ink drawings and sketches
completed largely over a 10-year period from 1850 to 1860. While it is unlikely
that Thoreau was directly influenced by Asian artists in the Chan (Zen) tradition,
the directness, originality, and inner energy of these small, terse drawings reflect an
inner vision that is uniquely Chinese in spirit.

The Significance of Discomfort in Zhan Zhuang Training

By Mark Cohen: The healing process in Zhan Zhuang can be likened to the peeling back the layers
of an onion. The outer layers can be considered the discomforts or imbalances that
we first encounter, while the root causes are buried deep inside or even in our core
itself. So when some sensation like tightness, soreness or even pain, surfaces, it is
the body's way of informing us that something is not as it should be.

Master Xu Yun & His Relationship with Daoism

By Adrian Chan-Wyles (ICBI): Master Xu Yun exclusively practiced Daoism for at least three years of his life before becoming a fully ordained Ch'an Buddhist monk. He studied the Daoist technique of developing prenatal qi (Xian Tian). It is the Daoist technique of uniting spirit shen) with essence (jing) and energy (qi), through seated meditation, holding
various postures whilst standing, and the performing of a number of 'qigong'
techniques•all developed through the process of breathing deeply and fully into
the lower abdomen and pelvic girdle areas.

The Eyes of T'ai Chi

By Ralph Johnson: When we first start our journey in T'ai Chi (Taijiquan) there are so many things
we need to learn, the list seems endless from learning to stand, relax, step, feet
and hip movement, hand movements, etc. T'ai Chi is simple in one sense and
very complex in another, the form literally goes from head to toe. Yet, the years I
have been teaching, reading and learning T'ai Chi there seems to be one point that
seems to get little or no attention. This is where one's eyes should be when we are
doing T'ai Chi?

Departments:

Departments include John Voigt's compilation of "Joseph Needham's Thoughts about Qi Being Matter and Energy", and Chris Bashaw asks, "How can I be a
martial artist and yet practice as a Franciscan?" in "'The Way' Tai Chi System: A Road to Peace". And of course, News and events from around the world as well as our usual (and unusual) cultural tidbits like "The Mighty Mung Bean", and "Chinese Medical Re-Discoveries".